Wireless local area networks (WLANs) have become ubiquitous in many countries around the world. Many of these WLANs are configured to support a centralized wireless communication protocol such as the IEEE 802.11-2012 standard entitled “Telecommunications and information exchange between systems Local and metropolitan area networks-Specific requirements Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications.” While the centralized wireless communication protocol provides a well-defined management scheme for controlling access to network services (e.g., printers, projectors, etc.), these protocols also require that all communications directed to network services are routed through the APs.
Hence, in the event of a substantial increase in data traffic or a substantial increase in the use of network services, a greater number of APs are normally needed to handle the increased traffic. This may require significant outlay of capital, especially for the installation of the additional APs and the reconfiguration of the network. Otherwise, the network may experience prolonged latency in its use of network services.
Recently, there has been interest in configuring WLANs to support a peer-to-peer (P2P) communication protocol, such as communications in accordance with the P2P communication standard entitled “Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Technical Specification.” The P2P communication protocol allows network devices to communicate directly with each other without the need of central AP that operates as a gateway for the wired network. While P2P communications eliminate AP-controlled traffic for network services, this decentralized network architecture makes it difficult to manage network services for an enterprise network.
A mechanism to manage P2P communications, especially in enterprise networks, is urgently needed.